Bootleg concert t-shirts

The local Fox affiliate, WTIC (Channel 61), just finished airing a Very Special Report about bootleg concert t-shirts. Anyone who has been to a concert has seen these shirts: They're usually sold by sketchy guys on the street after shows, and they're always way cheaper than the stuff sold at merch stands in the venue.

In the course of its ultra-daring hidden-camera investigation, Fox 61 (which, like The Courant, is owned by Tribune Co.), came to a few inescapable conclusions: fake concert shirts are of lower quality than the official ones, and licensed vendors aren't big fans of the bootleggers.

There were a few things, however, their expose didn't mention.

First, even though fake concert shirts usually fall apart if you put them in the dryer, preventing sales of them isn't a consumer-protection issue. It's a financial issue. Merchandise is where most artists, especially smaller bands, make their money. So when you're buying bootlegged concert shirts, it's the artist you're screwing. Mostly, that is. Because promoters take a cut of the merchandise sales, too — as much as 25 percent, which means merch sales are big money for them, too. And they don't get a piece of fake t-shirt sales.

But there probably wouldn't be such a huge market for fake shirts if the real ones weren't so pricey at shows. When My Morning Jacket opened for Pearl Jam a few weeks ago in Hartford, t-shirts cost $28 at the merch booth. Compare that to "just" $20 on the band's merch website. The bigger the artist, the more expensive the swag: someone I know paid $50 for a t-shirt at a Madonna concert a few years ago. By contrast, I bought a Swearing at Motorists shirt for $10 when I saw them in Austin earlier this year.

Fox 61 didn't discuss either point.

There's no sense buying a fake Swearing at Motorists shirt, of course — even if you could find someone selling them, what's $10 for a real one? I'd be tempted to buy bootlegged Madonna or Pearl Jam shirts, though. Those acts aren't exactly hurting for cash, for one thing, and I'm not convinced the difference between a fake shirt and an official one is worth an extra $40. Then again, for some fans, it probably is (and actually, I can think of bands I feel that way about, too. Of course, Pink Floyd is no longer touring ...).

um. actually, eric. my madonna t-shirt was $55. curses! i was hoodwinked! and how's this for a confession on a dance floor? it's been tucked in the back of my dresser drawer for at least six months. i hang my head in shame.

Abuse your monopoly power to charge $40 for a shirt when it's relatively easy for other people to make shirts and someone will sell $10 shirts.

And no one gets to complain that anything other than a bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter can be "too expensive." No way in heck I'm spending $40 on a T-shirt. And if I do, it's because I want to.

Eric -
I have bought bootleg shirts for over 15 years and will continue. My Madonna shirt from last night was only 10 bucks compared to 65 and the guy who I approached was a doll. The comment about the bootleggers being "sketchy" is very judgmental and inappropriate. Some people enjoy a little discount from time to time. Namaste.

If you're a band, there's no reason you can't find a middle ground for T-Shirt pricing (especially if they really need the extra cash) by cutting out the "fake" T-Shirt merchants. 10 dollars is a good amount to pay for a shirt. A small scrimping for profits + good advertising = happy times for all.

I went to see Iron Maiden for the umpteenth time in October 2006. I paid only $25 for the "show" shirt. They had other more expensive apparel but I was happy with my t-shirt. I went to Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance a few days ago for Projekt Revolution. I paid $25 for admission and $25 for a shirt. A non-sketchy very muscular guy in a very nice fitting tank top sold me a "bootleg" for $10. I would have paid more... well, never mind. I feel good about supporting "my bands" and I got a nice inexpensive shirt as well. That rounded out to be about $20 a shirt - not too shabby

"First, even though fake concert shirts usually fall apart if you put them in the dryer, "

that is a bald faced lie, you never bought a bootleg shirt that fell apart when you put it in the dryer or washer, and you don't know of anybody who did. you may have heard an anecdote but you can't provide proof to back up your claim.
see, this is why the public doesn't believe the press anymore when you go printing old wives tales as fact.
fact is most bootlegs you buy at concerts these days are of equal or greater quality than the garbage they sell in the shows and the artwork is often superior as well. for example in 1992 on the lollapalooza tour the tour merchandiser took the bootleg shirt and copied it because we were outselling him 5:1 on his ''official'' shirt.
remember the old sportswear company pro player apparel? they used to sponsor the stadium the miami dolphins play in. pro player stadium? yeah, write me a note and i'll tell you how they came to be
in my 15 years traveling the country and bootlegging everyone from aerosmith to zz top and everyone in between also many sporting events and a lot of nascar too, i consistently sold first quality shirts, beefy t's, duck head, delta, etc etc. the fact of the matter is that first quality blanks cost $2-3 more per dozen so it dooesn't make sense not to use the better quality.
there was one lollapalooza show in 93 when rages frontman, zach de la rocha even exhorted his fans to buy the bootlegs cause they were ripping people off at the swag tent. rage always sold ten dollar shirts in the old days.
hey these bands are trying to exploit their fans plain and simple. $30, 40, 50 for a shirt is a ripoff and just shows how little regard and respect these self centered superstars have for their fans, i show the stars the same regard and respect.

want to know more, email me: oeddie99@yahoo.com

ABOUT

Eric R. Danton is rock critic for The Hartford Courant, covering (to varying degrees) everything that's not jazz or classical music, with an emphasis on the local scene. ... read more